As part of Wesley Neighbors' ongoing public safety efforts, the Association participates in the Knoxville Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Program. Close working relations with the Police are maintained. Safety tips are provided to residents through the newsletter and e-mail network. Crime rates are remarkably low as a result.

Police Partnership

Our main safety effort is a productive partnership with the Knoxville Police Department. The KPD patrols our neighborhood, responds quickly to our calls, and provides expert advice on crime prevention.

Crime Prevention

Although the Wesley Neighborhood's crime rate is very low compared to other Knoxville neighborhoods, our proximity to major state and interstate highways provides quick getaways for criminals. Burglars, thieves, and other miscreants can do their dirty business and flee the area before police can arrive.

For this and other reasons, we believe prevention is the better approach to neighborhood safety. We routinely provide sound crime-prevention advice to our neighbors to minimize the opportunity they present for criminals.

Crime-Prevention Tips

Here are a few simple ways you can reduce the opportunities for criminals to succeed:

Keep doors and windows locked, even when you are home or working in the yard.

Home-invasion burglaries take place when residents are at home, and they can be life threatening. Some brazen burglars enter unlocked houses and garages when people are enjoying their backyards.

Talk through the door. Opening the door to talk to strangers gives criminals an opportunity to force entry into your house.

Keep outside lights on all night. Night burglars break into houses and vehicles when they cannot be seen. They avoid breaking into houses and cars when they can be seen.

Don't leave outside lights on all day. It tells criminals that your house is empty and available.

Cover tell-tale boxes in your trash with plastic trash bags. Burglars look for old boxes that contained expensive consumer products such as computers, TVs, stereos, and appliances. Then they break into the houses to grab and sell these brand-new items.

Get identification. People with legitimate business, such as officials from utility companies, carry identifications. If they don't show you ID, shut the door on them immediately and call police.

Don't leave valuables in your vehicles, even if locked. Criminals know how to break into vehicles and steal valuables. Keep CD collections, tools, purses, and anything else of value in your home. Never leave these items in plain sight to tempt criminals.

Rely on locked deadbolts instead of locked doorknobs. Locked doorknobs can be jimmied easily. Deadbolts are too much work for most criminals.

Don't let strangers into your home. Door-to-door sales workers and other unknown visitors might ask for permission to enter your house to sell their products or make their pitches. Don't allow them in if you don't know them or were not expecting them.

There is no need to feel unsafe in your neighborhood. There is a need to take reasonable precautions as a routine practice.

Traffic Safety

With traffic safety being a long-standing concern in the neighborhood, Wesley Neighbors has been seeking traffic calming and traffic enforcement since the association's inception.

Pedestrian Safety

A sidewalk that Wesley Neighbors advocated was built through the heart of the Wesley Neighborhood in 2003/2004 to help make it safer for pedestrians. Children walking to school, people walking or jogging for exercise, and neighbors walking their dogs are be able to do so safely on a concrete sidewalk behind a grassy buffer.

A pedestrian crosswalk across Kingston Pike that Wesley Neighbors requested enables residents to cross this busy boulevard safely when using the Knoxville Area Transit buses. Many of our residents use the KAT buses to go to and from work and area shopping. The crosswalk became operational in the spring of 2004.

Child Safety

The Association helps parents and guardians ensure the safety of their children through advice in the newsletter, links to child-safety experts, and other efforts.

Litter Removal

Litter acc
umulation is a sign to criminals that the neighborhood doesn't pay much attention to itself and the safety of its residents. Crime and litter statistics both show a direct relationship between high crime and litter-strewn neighborhoods. Therefore, our litter cleanup activities help make our neighborhood safer as well as beautiful.

Neighborhood Maintenance

Houses and buildings in disrepair present another signal to criminals that nobody in a neighborhood is watching out for one another. High crime areas are characterized by run-down buildings, junk in yards, un-mowed grass, and other signs of neighborhood inattentiveness. Thus, our continuing efforts to keep our properties and buildings in good shape help keep our neighborhood safe. The City of Knoxville's Codes Enforcement Office has been very supportive of our neighborhood-maintenance efforts.

National Night Out

We participate in the National Night Out program sponsored locally by the Knoxville Police Department. We'll post this year's event as soon as details are received from the Knoxville Police Department.